


Sibling Bonding

by GodIsZombie



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Batbrothers (DCU) Bonding, Batfamily (DCU), Dentists, Fluff, Funny, Hurt Damian Wayne, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Tim Drake, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Tired Parent Bruce Wayne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27121661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodIsZombie/pseuds/GodIsZombie
Summary: No one hurts Tim's little brother except him.  The Bat brothers being brothers.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne
Comments: 20
Kudos: 649





	1. Chapter 1

Tim froze as the sound of a pained yell rang out from the opposite side of the alleyway. Fuck. That sounded an awful lot like the brat.

He'd been paired with the demon for tonight's patrol and, as per usual, the tiny monster had pretty much immediately found more trouble than Tim was comfortable dealing with. It's like the kid was a meta, but no one noticed because his only power was making Tim's life as shitty as possible. One quiet night, that's all he wanted. But noooo. Robin just had to spot a group of career henchmen near the edge of downtown 20 minutes into what should have been a calm night.

At first glance Tim had been somewhat hopeful that this wasn't going to lead to much of anything. Most of the major bad guys were either chilling in Arkham or committing nefarious acts in places other than Gotham. And Tim knew for a fact that gap tooth Ted and Johnny "always wears weirdly long Superman socks because he thinks they're lucky" Wilkinson were in charge of one of the more popular hench person support groups in the city. They were probably just headed to a group dinner after one of their meetings. Except it wasn't Wednesday. And they were walking towards the tech district. And fuck. He hadn't had nearly enough coffee before they left.

So here they were, fighting a frankly obscene amount of thugs in a dirty back alley behind Drake Industries main research and development building. And from the sound Damian had just made, the kid was injured. 

Tim craned his neck around the mass of bodies between him and Robin, batting a few of the closer guys out of the way with his bo staff for a better look. Damian was backed into the farthest corner of the dead end alleyway clinging to the brick wall behind him in an attempt to stay on his feet as his knees wobbled dangerously. Blood was pouring out of his open mouth like a gory waterfall. A giant thug that Tim didn't recognize was leering over the injured Robin with a vicious smile plastered across his ugly face. He must be new, only the new guys didn't know any better. The guy reared back and the putrid yellow glow from a nearby streetlight glinted off of a pair of studded brass knuckles. This guy had hit Damian in the face with studded brass knuckles. This guy was about to do it again. Tim saw red.

"Hey! Fuck face!" Tim growled, anger flowing off of him in waves. Brass knuckles boy froze starting at the teenage vigilante with a look of mild befuddelment, clearly not understanding the situation he'd just put himself in. He might not have realized the danger, but his buddies certainly did. Most had already dropped their weapons and were nervously backing away, arms raised. "Did you just hurt my little brother?"

~~~~·¤·~~~

Tim released an annoyed little breath as he examined his metal staff. He'd just made this one a month ago. It was one of his very favorites. And now it had a pretty sizable dent on one end that he wasn't entirely sure was repairable. And even if it was, the whole thing was covered in quickly drying blood and a couple of floppy bits of someone's skin. Tim wasn't particularly excited about the prospect of collapsing the thing and shoving it back into his pocket. "Fucking gross," he eventually sighed with a decisive nod. Abandoning any effort to salvage the weapon for the time being.

He picked his way across the alley, stepping around the sea of now unconscious and handcuffed thugs. Careful to only step on knuckle boy as he made his way to Robin.

Damian was leaning almost casually against the wall behind him. The effect only broken by the way blood was still furiously gushing out of his open mouth. "Hey bat brat." Tim greeted in a tone bordering dangerously close to gentle. "You good?"

Dami looked up at him with a frankly impressively angry deadpan glare.

"Yeah ok." Tim huffed. "You don't have to look at me in that tone of voice. I just saved you ya' little asshole."

Damian looked like he was going to argue, but settled for a heavy sigh and an even stronger glare after a couple seconds.

"Can't talk?" Robin made an expression like he ate a lemon and slowly shook his head. "At least something good happened tonight."

True to form the youngest bat immediately started flipping Tim the double bird and growled in barely contained rage.

"Hey, language!" Tim yelled, laughing maniacally as Damian started picking up trash out of the grimy gutter next to him to throw at his older brother.

"Ok, ok! I'll call backup… Holds on a second- will you stop- Jesus Robin, ok. Ok! I give. Fucking uncle!" Damian chucked one last empty soda can at Red Robin's head, nailing him right between the eyes before settling back against the wall with a grimace.

Tim rolled his eyes and taped his com, taking a couple of steps away from the gremlin just to be safe. "Hey this is the robins red and murderous. Anyone available for a pick up?"

After less than a second of dead air Red Hood growled, "What did you idiots do now?"

Followed almost immediately by Nothing's worried, "Is everyone ok?"

"Demon's hurt. Some FUCKING DIPSHIT," Tim yelled, kicking said dipshit in the ribs, "got him in the face with a studded set of brass knuckles."

"Is he ok?" Dick panted. Clearly already running across rooftops to intercept them.

Tim glanced over at Damian who was starting to look a little green, blood still pouring freely all over the front of his costume. "...ish? Broken jaw for sure. And I'd bet money on a concussion. Bleeding pretty heavily from his mouth but i can't tell where it's coming from. He's still standing though, and seems to be his usual annoying self."

"Seems to be?"

"Oh, yeah. He can't talk."

"Think it's permanent?" Hood asked sounding almost excited.

"You really think I'm that lucky?"

"Good point replacement."

"Don't be mean." Dick interrupted. "He's hurt."

"Yes mom." The two middlest children said in near perfect unison.

"So what'd ya do to the guy who hurt him?" Jason asked darkly. The threat of violence clear in his voice.

"A lot." Tim responded without hesitation.

"Good."

Tim took a second to glance back at Robin and swore into the coms. "Shit, shit, shit. Don't pass out standing up you fucking idiot!"

Dick made a distressed sound but Tim ignored it, rushing over to the wobbling preteen. Catching him around the shoulders seconds before the kid cracked his skull open against the pavement. Damian looked up at Tim with wide eyes and a soft expression, and for just a second, Tim could feel his heart melting. Dami was a monster. But, and Tim would never admit this out loud, his little brother was honest to god kind of adorable. Occasionally. And he kind of, maybe loved him despite himself. A little bit.

Tim opened his mouth, fully prepared to say something comforting, when Damian ruined the moment by leaning forward and vomiting all over Tim's feet.

"Jesus fucking Christ! Did you seriously just throw up on me?! THIS IS WHY YOU'RE NOT THE FAVORITE!"

Tim could just make out Dick's exasperated sigh and Jason's mad cackling over the radio in his ear as Robin flipped him off for a second time while continuing to dry heave. Groaning pathetically. And, for some reason, Tim kept his arms wrapped tightly around his little brother through it all.


	2. His Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So umm... Hi! And welcome to the goofy second chapter of this fic that everyone (myself most of all) expected to stay a cute little one shot. I don't know either you guys.

"Dick. I need a favor." Bruce blurted out the second he accepted the call.

"Hello B." Dick sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose in irritation while Tim leered at him from across the table like the annoying little brother he was.

"I'm texting you an address. I need you to-"

"HELLO Bruce." 

Tim was giggling now. And stealing his fries, the little shit.

On the other end of the line there was a pause. Then a heavy sigh. "Dick…."

"Bruce."

Another sigh, and then, almost painfully, "…Hello Dick."

Dick smiled, his demeanor instantly switching back to chipper, "oh hey B! What's up?" Tim went for another fist full of his brother's fries and Dick nearly dropped his phone smacking his hand away from the plate. "For fuck's sake Tim! You haven't even touched yours! Stop stealing mine!"

"Yours taste better." Tim mumbled around a mouth full of stolen potatoes.

"Asshole."

"Dickhead."

"Oh har-har you little-"

"Boys. Language." Bruce growled from the other end of the phone seconds before the argument could devolve into a slap fight. Even though Tim clearly wouldn't be able to hear it. Dick was pretty sure it was an automatic response at this point. Something Bruce wasn't even aware he did. He'd seen his dad break out the 'tired single father of 37' shtick on his fellow justice leaguers enough times over the years to cultivate the theory. "Wait. Tim is with you?" 

"Yeah B, Tim is with me. At the Tim and Dick only lunch I've been telling you about for the past two weeks."

"Shit."

"Language."

"Dick."

"Bruce."

Bruce sighed. He loved his children, he did. Really. He was pretty sure. Maybe. "Dick I need a favor. But Tim…. complicates things somewhat."

Dick sat up a little straighter. He didn't think this was related to their night life, but… "Ok, what's going on B?"

"An emergency meeting was just called for the WE board."

"Another hostile take over attempt from Luthor?"

"Most likely. He seemed to be very interested in...certain technologies coming out of our R and D department recently."

'Ah,' Dick thought. 'The R and D department that Tim was in charge of. That might explain Bruce's comments.'

"So you need me to investigate Lex's new nefarious plot to get rid of the big guy?"

"No. I have it handled."

"Then why-"

"I need you to pick up your brother from his dental appointment." Bruce's paused for a second. Considering, before he continued, "And watch him until I can get home."

Dick couldn't stop the fond smile that crept onto his face at the mention of Damian. "I don't think Dami will appreciate a babysitter B." From across the table Tim looked up from his plate as soon as Dick said their brother's name and made a face like he'd just bitten into a lemon.

"He just had dental surgery Dick."

"I know?" Dick said absently. More interested in mouthing apologies to a now sullen Tim. Teenagers.

"The medication they have him on will-"

"Oh." Dick chuckled. Dami was going to be high as a kite. He glanced up at Tim and realization hit him like a freight train to the face. "OH!" This...this had the potential to become a blood bath. A hilarious, terrible, blood bath.

"Yeah." Bruce sighed.

"Can anyone else-"

"No." Bruce shut down. "Can you...I can't believe I'm saying this. What are the chances you can ditch your brother?"

"How much time do we have? We took the same car." 

Tim was becoming more and more interested in the conversation now. He could only hear half of it, but something was clearly up. And it very clearly involved him. And the demon for some reason. He started impatiently gesturing at Dick, trying to get more info from his brother.

"Shit." Bruce hissed. "You don't have time."

"Shit." Dick agreed.

After a moment of contemplative silence. Bruce huffed over the line, "Well… good luck Dick."

"B! You can't just-"

"Can't hear you. You must be breaking up."

"Don't. You. Dare. Old. Man." Dick shoved at Tim who, tired of being ignored, had half crawled onto the table between them. Attempting to steal the phone from his brother.

"B? What's going on?" Tim yelled into Dick's face as they started wrestling for the phone in earnest.

"Sorry Dick. I have to get going. And, you know what? I uh, I just remembered. I have monitor duty at the watchtower. Might not be able to come home tonight."

"You Can't!"

"What's happening???"

Their waitress was looking at them now. The whole restaurant was looking at them. Why did going out in public with siblings always end up like this?

"Goodbye Dick! I love you, keep an eye on your brothers for me." Bruce was laughing. The Bastard was laughing as he abandoned and betrayed his first born son.

"YOU SON OF A-" Bruce hung up. Fuck. Dick was so fucking fucked.

He looked up and locked eyes with a now deeply annoyed little brother. "So….small change of plans." He said after an awkward few seconds, throwing on his very best showman's smile.

"Cut the shit circus boy."

"Fine. Come on. I'll tell you in the car." Dick grumbled, trudging towards the exit.

~~~~¤~~~~

Dick, might have, perhaps, left out the part about Damian tripping the light fantastic. He wasn't exactly sure why. Mostly he was just hoping Tim wouldn't notice? It… it wasn't a good plan. He was willing to admit that.

They pulled up to the front of a very fancy pediatric dental office and Dick turned towards the passenger seat, smiling brightly at the sullen teenager it contained. "Why don't you wait here while I grab him?"

"Gladly." Tim huffed, refusing to look up from his phone.

"Tim."

"Hummm?"

"Tim?"

"....." 

Dick took a dramatic breath, smiling impishly. "Tim. Timmy. Timmers? Timberline. Tibles. Timbelina? Tim Tam the jazz man?"

Tim was, despite his best efforts, unable to suppress his smile. "What Dick?" He said, finally putting down his cell to glance at his big brother.

"Love you." Dick sing songed obnoxiously. Leaning over the stick shift to lay his head on Tim's shoulder and look up at him through his eyelashes.

"Ok. Ok. Love you too. Now go get the brat."

"You love him too. Can't fool me."

"I do not!" Tim yelled, looking thoroughly offended.

"Yeah? And how's that thug who broke his jaw in the first place? Cause I heard he's still in the hospital."

"...."

"You looove him."

"Shut up!" Tim shook Dick off of him. Following up with a hard punch to the shoulder. "Go get the kid and leave me alone you ass!"

Dick climbed out of the car cackling as he rubbed his sore arm. "Ok, ok, I'm going." He yelled over his shoulder as he made his way through the front doors.

He couldn't help but grimace though as he thought about the day he was about to struggle through. Maybe, maybe he'd get lucky and Dami would just sleep the whole time. 

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Damian Wayne?" He said, smiling to the lady behind the front desk.

"Oh good! He just woke up a couple minutes ago. Follow me."

Damn it.

"That's an amazing little boy you've got there by the way." The receptionist smiled as she went around her side of the counter to open the doors connecting the waiting room lobby to the office propper.

Dick instantly went into full proud parent mode despite himself. "He is, isn't he? I keep telling people we were lucky with that one. You should see his paintings! I always tell him he's- wait. What?" That was, weird. Dick knew how amazing Damian was. But random strangers…

"A little artist huh?" The receptionist answered, oblivious to Dick's growing suspicion as she led him down a long, blan hallway. "He's such a little sweetheart, I can see it! All the nurses absolutely love him you know?" She chuckled pleasantly to herself as they turned the corner into a second, even blander hallway. "Ever since he woke up I've had to keep coming back here to chase the nurses out of his room. They all want to cuddle him instead of doing their jobs. Not that I can really blame them. He's adorable."

"Wait. Umm, I think maybe…. You misheard me? I'm here to pick up Damian Wayne?"

"You're hilarious. I can see where he gets his charm from." She smiled stopping in front of a nondescript white door. "Here we are."

"No, wait. I really think-"

But the door opened to reveal his baby brother. He was snuggled into an over-stuffed leather chair that absolutely dwarfed the already tiny boy. Damian looked as if he had, at one point, been sitting up. But the upper half of his body had since slumped towards the right, his head now resting half over the edge of the armrest. His lower half on the other hand stayed where it was, little legs not quite long enough to touch the ground were kicking lazily. All that combined with the way Dami was clutching at a fuzzy blanket covered in pictures of cartoon dogs, the puffy chipmunk cheeks stuffed full of cotton balls, and the wide innocent eyes so dilated that Dick couldn't see even a hint of green made...quite the picture.

"Hello miss Jennifer. I'm no longer upright." Damian slurred in the general direction of the receptionist. "Apologies for the inconvenience." Dick subtly took a few photos before the nurse had the chance to sit him back up.

"It's alright sweetheart." She smiled, helping the boy back into a sitting position. 

Damian encircled the woman into a hug as soon as she got within arms reach. Pulling back after a second to gently cup her cheek and declair, "You, miss Jennifer, are good." With a decisive nod.

"My name is Caroline darling." The nurse said, clearly amused. "Look who came to take you home." She pointed towards the door where Dick was still loitering. Taking everything in and trying very hard not to laugh.

Damian blinked at him owlishly for a couple of seconds with the same sort of expression he wore when he was trying to figure or a particularly hard puzzle. And then, like a switch going off, the boy's face split into a grin so sunny it damn near lit up Dick's whole world. "Baba Richard!" Little D declared, opening his arms in a clear invitation for a hug. 

And Dick, well, Dick couldn't have helped himself if he tried. He rushed forward, sweeping his boy into his arms in one fluid motion and spinning him around the room a couple times for good measure. All to the sound of Damian's surprisingly childish laugh. Instead of letting him drop back into his feet the way he normally would after a hug, Dick kept carrying the boy. Securely tucking him against his hip and humming happily to himself when Damian actually allowed it.

"This is my baba Richard miss Jennifer." Damian told the receptionist seriously. "He is not my father. Father is my father. But he is my baba. But I am not supposed to tell him that. Although I can't remember why. He is a super hero."

"I'm sure he is darling." Caroline answered in a clearly indulgent tone. Patting the boy's hair gently.

"Richard, I feel strange." Damian muttered, nestling his head into the crook of Dick's neck with a contented sigh.

"I know baby. Let's get home." Dick smiled, rubbing circles across his boy's small back and just barely resisting the urge to pinch himself to make absolutely sure this wasn't a dream. He locked eyes with Caroline over the top of Damian's head once he'd settled in his arms. "What the hell did you give him?" He asked, already planning on slipping a little bit of whatever it was into the cave's med bay. Just, just in case.

~~~~¤~~~~

Tim missed it when Dick walked out of the office carrying Damian on his hip like a toddler. Too busy texting Kon. He was even oblivious to the way Damian clung to the oldest when he tried to put him down in the back seat. And he completely failed to notaice the way Dick had to gently strap the youngest into the car when Damian proved to be too uncoordinated to manage it himself. No, one of the world's greatest detectives missed all of that. Too focused on a frankly incomprehensible string of emojis his best friend just sent him.

The thing to bring him back into the real world was a small pair of arms loosely wrapping around his neck from behind. Tim tensed, fully prepared to die at the hands of an enraged demon brat. 'This is it.' He thought, 'This is how I go. Not exactly what I was expecting. But it was a good run. No, that's a lie. I shouldn't lie to myself like that. Not when I'm about to die…. This is taking a while.'

He cracked his eyes open and, ok. Those were definitely Damian arms. Around his neck. Only, they weren't choking him? They were wrapped around him loosely. Almost like… Was this a hug? 

Before he could decide how to handle THAT, a little, suspiciously ten year old sized head appeared from around the side of his head rest and oh so gently laid itself down on Tim's shoulder face down. "DIIICK? What's happening?!"

His older brother sighed, avoiding eye contact. "So, the thing is-"

"My bones Drake." Damian interrupted without budging an inch from his position, draped dramatically across the back of his older brother.

"I-I dont-" Tim started before Damian cut him off.

"My bones! They've taken my bones." He whined, sounding for all the world like he was seconds away from bursting into tears.

"No one took your bones baby." Dick tried, his voice going soft and mushy. Like this was cute instead of the weirdest god damned thing that had ever happened. "The doctor just pulled a couple of your baby teeth that were cracked."

Damian looked up at Dick, glaring up at his brother incredulously. "Teeth are bones. You should know this. Idiot." 

Damian switched from hauty back to overly emotional in an instant. Face planting back into Tim's shoulder. "And miss Jenifer has stolen mine." He nearly sobbed.

"No, baby. No. It's ok. Those were bad bones. You don't want those bones anymore." Dick tried.

"Holy shit." Tim said. A devious smile curling his lips.

Realization began to dawn on Dick's face. "...Tim. Tim, just-"

"Holy shit." Tim repeated, slowly picking his phone back up.

"Let's all just wait a-"

"Holy shit." Tim smiled, gleefully opening his camera app.

"Tim no."

"He's-" He started, switching the camera to video.

"Tim please."

"He's fucking zooted."

"God damn it Tim."

"This is going to be amazing."

"Shit."

"Avenge my bones Drake. Avenge my lost bones."


End file.
